The Arabian Nights eBook

Story of Ali Colia, Merchant of Bagdad

In the reign of Haroun-al-Raschid, there lived in
Bagdad a merchant named Ali Cogia, who, having neither
wife nor child, contented himself with the modest
profits produced by his trade. He had spent some
years quite happily in the house his father had left
him, when three nights running he dreamed that an old
man had appeared to him, and reproached him for having
neglected the duty of a good Mussulman, in delaying
so long his pilgrimage to Mecca.

Ali Cogia was much troubled by this dream, as he was
unwilling to give up his shop, and lose all his customers.
He had shut his eyes for some time to the necessity
of performing this pilgrimage, and tried to atone
to his conscience by an extra number of good works,
but the dream seemed to him a direct warning, and he
resolved to put the journey off no longer.

The first thing he did was to sell his furniture and
the wares he had in his shop, only reserving to himself
such goods as he might trade with on the road.
The shop itself he sold also, and easily found a
tenant for his private house. The only matter
he could not settle satisfactorily was the safe custody
of a thousand pieces of gold which he wished to leave
behind him.

After some thought, Ali Cogia hit upon a plan which
seemed a safe one. He took a large vase, and
placing the money in the bottom of it, filled up the
rest with olives. After corking the vase tightly
down, he carried it to one of his friends, a merchant
like himself, and said to him:

“My brother, you have probably heard that I
am staffing with a caravan in a few days for Mecca.
I have come to ask whether you would do me the favour
to keep this vase of olives for me till I come back?”

The merchant replied readily, “Look, this is
the key of my shop: take it, and put the vase
wherever you like. I promise that you shall
find it in the same place on your return.”

A few days later, Ali Cogia mounted the camel that
he had laden with merchandise, joined the caravan,
and arrived in due time at Mecca. Like the other
pilgrims he visited the sacred Mosque, and after all
his religious duties were performed, he set out his
goods to the best advantage, hoping to gain some customers
among the passers-by.

Very soon two merchants stopped before the pile, and
when they had turned it over, one said to the other:

“If this man was wise he would take these things
to Cairo, where he would get a much better price than
he is likely to do here.”

Ali Cogia heard the words, and lost no time in following
the advice. He packed up his wares, and instead
of returning to Bagdad, joined a caravan that was
going to Cairo. The results of the journey gladdened
his heart. He sold off everything almost directly,
and bought a stock of Egyptian curiosities, which he
intended selling at Damascus; but as the caravan with
which he would have to travel would not be starting
for another six weeks, he took advantage of the delay
to visit the Pyramids, and some of the cities along
the banks of the Nile.